Transcript of "Essay writing"

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Supplementary materialCompiled by M.Ed. Maria Luisa Mu, 2012-2013

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What is an Essay? An essay is a group of paragraphswritten about a single topic and a centralmain idea. It must have at least three paragraphs,but a five-paragraph essay is a commonlength for academic writing.Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

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The Structure of an Essay The Introduction: Explains the topic withgeneral ideas. It also has the thesis statement andcomes at or near the end of the paragraph. The Main body: Explain and support the thesisstatement. The conclusion: Summarises or restates thethesis and the supporting ideas of the essay.Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

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The Thesis Statement The thesis statement is the sentence thattells the main idea of the whole essay. It can be compared to a topic sentence,which gives the main idea of a paragraph. It usually comes at or near the end of theintroductory paragraph.Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

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The Introduction… … is usually five to ten sentences. … catches the reader´s interest. … gives the general topic of the essay. … gives background information aboutthe topic. … states the main point (thesisstatement) of the essay.Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

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How to make an introductioninteresting Include … …interesting facts or statistics. … a personal story or example. … an interesting quotation.Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

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Thesis Statements for LogicalDivision of Ideas The thesis statement of a logical divisionessay often indicates the number ofsuptopics. Ex: Inflation has three causes. It may even name the specific subtopics: Ex: Inflation has three causes: excessivegovernment spending, unrestrained consumerborrowing, an increase in the supply of papermoney.Taken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006

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Writing an OutlineI. IntroductionII. First main ideaIII. Second main ideaIV. Third main ideaV. Conclusion

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Outlining information for theparagraphsI. Introduction•A. First supporting pointII. First main idea• 1. First detail• 2. Second detailB. Second supporting point• 1. First detail• 2. Second detail

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Concluding PARAGRAPH The conclusion has three purposes: It signals the end of the essay startingwith a transition signal. It reminds your reader of your mainpoints by summarizing your subtopics orparaphrasing your thesis. It leaves your reader with your finalthoughts on the topic.Taken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006

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Techniques for a memorableConclusion: Make a prediction Suggest results or consequences Suggest a solution, make arecommendation, or call for action Quote an authority on the topicTaken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006